Apparently Miguel has to go out of town that weekend.
Damn. And I just ordered ammo for it. At least I hadn’t booked the hotel room.
Author: Derek
Connections On-Line
No, I’m not talking about making friends over the interwebz (although that is pretty nifty).
I’m talking about the James Burke series that examined the connections between seemingly unrelated historical or scientific events.
And it’s now online for viewing!
H/t Sebastian
Why We Have The First Amendment
The British government, which has much more authority over the press, demands the return of the Snowden materials. Then it goes to The Guardian’s offices to make sure the hard drives containing the information are destroyed.
This new aggressive surveillance state is bad enough, but you’d think that the people who have gone to great lengths to monitor email would have an understanding of the Interwebz and that you can’t stop the signal.
Metal Tuesday – Sonata Arctica – My Selene
This week’s Metal Tuesday is Sonata Arctica’s “My Selene.” This is one of those songs that will get stuck in my head and I have to burn it out through repeated plays.
Lyrics:
Nocturnal poetry
Dressed in the whitest silver, you’d smile at me
Every night I wait for my sweet Selene
But, still
Solitude’s upon my skin
A life that’s bound by the chains of reality
Would you let me be your Endymion?
I won’t bathe in your moonlight and slumber in peace
Enchanted by your kiss in forever sleep
But until we unite
I live for that night
Wait for time
Two souls entwine
In the break of new dawn
My hope is forlorn
Shadows, they will fade
But I’m always in the shade
Without you
Serene and silent sky
Rays of moon are dancing with the tide
A perfect sight, a world divine
And I
The loneliest child alive
Always waiting, searching for my rhyme
I’m still alone in the dead of night
Silent I lie with smile on my face
Appearance deceives and the silence betrays
As I wait for the time
My dream comes alive
Always out of sight
But never out of mind
And under waning moon
Still I long for you
Alone against the light
Solitude am I?
In the end, I’m enslaved by my dream
In the end, there’s no soul who’d bleed for me
Hidden from daylight, I’m sealed in my cave
Trapped in a dream that is slowly turning to a nightmare
Where I’m all alone
Venial is life when you’re but a dream
The book is still open
The pages as empty as me
I cling to a hope that’s beginning to fade
Trying to break the desolation I hate
But until we unite
I live for that night
Wait for time
Two souls entwine
In the break of new dawn
My hope is forlorn
We will never meet
Only misery and me
This is my final call
My even fall
Drowning into time
I become the night
By the light of new day
I’ll fade away
Reality cuts deep
Would you bleed with me
My Selene?
Reasons I Love My Niece #4126
It’s my niece’s sixth birthday and she got an iPod (actually an old iPhone 3GS). Shortly after presents are done, my niece comes up to me and asks for me to put on the “gun game.”
Spiders and Cats
Some of you may know this, but I hate spiders. Intellectually, I can appreciate the biological niche they have carved out for themselves. Emotionally, my response is more “KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE!”
Yeah, that about sums it up.
So, of course, I am having a weird dream where I am precariously perched with a large spider skirting about. I am desperately trying to keep my legs from getting within jumping distance of this abomination.
I don’t know what I was murmuring or what was going through that FSM-damned kitten’s mind, but that was the exact moment that EBC decided to pounce on my legs.
I was very lucky not to have sodden sheets. Or a dead kitten.
Friday Quote – Gen. James Mattis
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
General James “Mad Dog” Mattis
I kinda have nothing to add to this.
Stop Advocating and Tell Us the Science
In my opinion, the biggest reason that the populace (particularly the American populace) doesn’t believe in climate change is the demands on policy made by many climatologists. It doesn’t help that many of those who are sounding the death drums can only think of government intervention as the only means to alleviate the changes.
I believe advocacy by climate scientists has damaged trust in the science. We risk our credibility, our reputation for objectivity, if we are not absolutely neutral. At the very least, it leaves us open to criticism. I find much climate scepticism is driven by a belief that environmental activism has influenced how scientists gather and interpret evidence. So I’ve found my hardline approach successful in taking the politics and therefore – pun intended – the heat out of climate science discussions.
Science should strive to tell us what is going on in the natural world and help to develop new technologies. Climatologists telling me that only a carbon tax will save the world from destruction looks like a fool because (s)he obviously doesn’t understand how market economies work or that the best way to a clean environment is through prosperity.
H/t Uncle
I Am Spartacus (TJIC, Rodeo Clown…)
Sarah Hoyt has an excellent post up over at her place. YOU NEED TO RTWT.
I am Spartacus because Benghazi.
I am Spartacus because summer of recovery 1, and 2, and 3, and 4, and 5… and?
I am Spartacus because at some point you have made enough money – AND THAT’S FOR YOU TO DECIDE, not bureaucrats. And if you never think you’ve made enough money, that’s your decision.
I am Spartacus because Fast and Furious.
I am Spartacus because I want the government to leave me alone.
I am Spartacus because I DID build that.
And that’s just a small part.
Gunsmithing Fun
Earlier this week, I took my M&P 9 and 9c in to have Trijicon night sights installed. Yes, I know I could have done them myself, except, I’ve never been good at “fixing” things, and I’d rather have pay a professional rather than chance screwing up my guns.
Since these two are my EDC pistols, this meant dragging out my old Sig 225 to carry while these were in the shop. Don’t get me wrong, I like my Sig, but there’s a reason I upgraded to the M&Ps. Still, I needed something to carry while the M&Ps were out of action. My suspicions were confirmed when the tech told me it should take 5 to 7 business days to complete. Needless to say, I was surprised when I got a phone call that afternoon.
Gunsmith: Mr. Ward, your pistols are completed and you can pick them up at your convenience.
Me: Really? I thought they wouldn’t be done for another week.
Gunsmith: Yeah, well I got in between two heavy builds, wanted something simple to do, and saw your pistols just sitting there. So, their done and you can pick them up.
Me: I’ll be there in 20.
I do so love seeing those three dots glowing green in the night.